Working his way back from a knee injury, Mayo was on the field for less than half of the defensive plays in Sunday’s loss to the Steelers.

“It’s coming along,” Mayo said of his knee. “Just working every day, trying to get it better each and every day. Hopefully, it continues to improve.”

Former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison was critical of the defense and the strategy after Sunday’s loss to the Steelers. Mayo brushed off the comments.

“Rodney’s going to say what he wants to say,” Mayo said. “He’s not in this locker room. I’m loyal to these guys in this locker room. Rodney’s a great player. He’s entitled to his opinion. I think we have the guys on this team and on this defense to be successful and to be a good defense.”

Injured Steelers receiver Hines Ward also took some shots at the Patriots defense, saying he didn’t feel the need to rush back for the game.

“It’s tough to hear things like that, but at the same time, hindsight is 20-20. He didn’t say it before the game or anything like that,” Mayo said. “It is tough to hear that. Like you said, I’m prideful, especially when it comes to defense. We’ve just got to continue to get better and start figuring out people, and that’s what we’re working toward.”

Talking about the defense’s communication issues, Mayo said: “Different things happen on football teams. Injuries are a huge part of communication. Any time you have different guys back there you have to talk to them differently, you have to make adjustments differently. That’s up to us up front, the linebackers, making sure everyone’s on the same page. We take that burden. Hopefully, it improves this week.”